Frances,
Under UK law the only person able to issue a death certificate would be a Coroner after an Inquest to determine the cause of death.His verdict would be dependent on the evidence available but obviously they don 't have to have the body if it was genuinely lost at sea in order to issue the certificate. I have no idea how this is applied in other Jurisdictions. The point you make about being accepted at your destination is very interesting. Presumably Falmouth would make those arrangements if it were a UK boat?
Simon

Yes, an interesting discussion.
I 'm in my late 60s, and my greatest fear is ending up in a geriatric ward, not dying at sea. I hope I go "with my boots on".
If I were aboard a crewed yacht, and a death occurred, I would gather all available evidence, in the form of signed statements and photos, tie an anchor to the corpse and bury it respectfully in deep water. At the end of the passage, the evidence to be handed to the competent authority. That 's been done since folks have been going to sea - can 't be wrong.
If I 'm on passage alone, and know for sure that that I 'm not going to make it (a bad injury, or an infection, perhaps), then I would attempt self-burial - tie anchor to foot, drink bottle of whisky, slip over side when sufficiently smashed. The only downside is that my daughters would have to wait seven years before they could administer my Will, I believe, if there is no body as evidence of death. That 's one of the stronger reasons for carrying an Iridium device, so that I can say "Goodbye, World", and supply a lat and long where the wreath should be dropped. Not for bleating for help. Self-reliance should be the name of the game, and where that fails, I for one am "prepared to drown like a gentleman", as Blondie Hasler put it.

Great contribution David. Particularly like the Captain Oates bit. I think you make well the point that common sense must prevail if the 'official advice ' is so out of touch it may be dangerous to the survivors. I am not at all sure that the medics patched through at such times have any real conception of what it is to be on a small boat mid ocean.

So if it comes to a decision between a defibrillator and an extra anchor I think my vote is for the latter which has more uses on board Tystie than I would ever have imagined.
Simon

[quote="simoncurrin" post=1618]
So if it comes to a decision between a defibrillator and an extra anchor I think my vote is for the latter which has more uses on board Tystie than I would ever have imagined.
Simon[/quote]

Alternatively, you could carry a couple of cannon balls, if you prefer a more traditional solution to the problem, but they don 't have so many other uses ;)

I suppose that laws may differ in different jurisdictions relative to a body and declaration of death at sea, or is there a provision in Admiralty Law that prevails? Do we have any law specialists here? Is there a place one might plan to make landfall that would serve best? Does a Master Mariner have any special requirements or legal obligations?

Vice Commodore, OCC 

I just located two references about death at sea. Both pertain more to merchant vessels but give some useful guidance I believe. One is the WHO Medical Guide for Ships (pdf attached). And the other is a blog entry. See text below.

Note that the WHO document does provide instructions for burial at sea.


[attachment=170]WHOMedicalGuideforShips3rdEdition.pdf[/attachment]



What to Do in Case of Death of a Person Onboard Ship?

NOVEMBER 9, 2012 BY RAUNEK 1 COMMENT

Death on board ships as a result of any kind of adversity is an extreme form of emergency situation. In case of such unfortunate event, the crew and master of the ship must take all the necessary steps that are mentioned in WHO’s International medical guide for ships or according to the procedures given by the radio medical personnel.

The master of the ship would inform the company about the deceased person along with other necessary details that are required in the form of evidence.

Death in Ship

Important details required as evidence are:

Date, time, and position of the vessel when the death occurred
Location of the death if it occurred because of an accident
Record of the working hours of the deceased
Details of the condition of the body
Complete eye witness statement that is taken immediately after the incident
Type of medical treatment given to the person before death
Details of the person who gave medical treatment
Details on indication of intoxication, if found
Details of tools, wires, equipment etc. which was the cause of death
Timed photographs of the place where deceased was found
Details of telemedicine assistance, if available and provided
Any other information asked by the company
The company is responsible to inform the next-of-kin of the deceased person. Also, it is to note that in case the incident occurs when the ship is at port or anchor, the procedures according to the laws of that particular country needs to be followed.

If at port, the master should inform the local agents, medical personnel, and concerned persons of the P & I club. The local agent would guide the master regarding the procedures to be followed as required by the authorities of that particular country.

Death of a Person Onboard Ship

If the accident has taken place at the sea, the procedures and guidelines as provided by the company are followed. The company might ask to preserve the body in an emptied refer compartment. Also, the agent of the next port of call must be informed beforehand so that the necessary information is provided to the local authorities, the consulate of the ship’s flag state, and the correspondence of P & I club.

As per the rules, all the belongings of the deceased person should be packed and handed over to the agent to be sent to the company, which would eventually forward it to the next-of-kin along with a copy of inventory list of belongings.

All the details are to be noted in the official log book for later reference.

Kindly note that this is just a general overview of the practice that is followed in such situations, the full procedures/guidelines to be followed in case of death on board ships would vary according to the company policies and laws of country in which the death occurred.

Vice Commodore, OCC 

The only reason for calling to Falmouth is if you are about to step UP into your liferaft.
Once out on the ocean, you must rely on your own experience and common sense, with possible help from nearby yachtsmen.
Julia and I were on the '99 crossing and heard the complete story on the SSB of how two crew plus a nurse were transferred to the casualty, the nurse assessed the patient and called for advice, a sailing doctor 500 miles away prescribed treatment, a further yacht transferred the necessary drugs, the hospital in St Lucia could not cope with the seriousness so he was flown to Martinique where a leading French heart specialist just happened to be on holiday...three months later the patient was drinking gin in our cockpit...a most fantastic story of co-operation and sheer common sense from fellow yachtsmen.
My family have always known that if the worst happened, I would not return and they would assume that I was enjoying myself with the mermaids.
When Julia and I were preparing for our first long passage together, I made the point forcefully to her children that should she die at sea, I would give her the smartest burial I could and they would have to trust me...I do not care a damn for officialdom and their rules. However, in view of the questioning expected, I would have made for the nearest British Consulate downwind where I could have explained in my own language, though I do think that Frances 's idea of saying they fell overboard has merit!

Where can you buy a body bag?

Sadly, there has just been a death reported aboard a vessel in the Marion to Bermuda race. http://www.bwsailing.com/cc/tragedy-and-triumph-during-marion-bermuda-race/

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a defibrillator aboard?

Vice Commodore, OCC 

No we don 't carry a defib.